episodes 901 The Matrimonial Momentum (September 21)

[The Sweet Compounder]

I was feeling both HAPPY and SAD at the same time... :D D:

P.S. I did enjoyed this episode... Lenny moments where so cute :D... And shamy... D: 

[Chiany]

Stuart is desperate, creepy and no longer funny, just a sad character to watch

 

Time to write him off, which should have happened many many seasons ago.

[Squonk]

<lots of words>

But...wow. Empty and heartless and joyless. Lenny had the worst wedding ever. Shelnard just got stabbed to death in front of my eyes. Shamy is broken up. No Raj, but plenty of pasty-faced creepy no-one-gives-a-damn-about-that-character Stuart was there and actually delivering some of the only funny lines of the entire night.

NOOOOOOOOOO, you're buzzing my kill, I mean killing my buzz........

Squonk sad..........

[vasu]

worst part of the wedding....

penny could'nt have looked more bored.....

 

should have got the gist when penny herself said that amy was not missing anything special........lol

Edited September 22, 2015 by vasu

[Amy Fowler]

Stuart is desperate, creepy and no longer funny, just a sad character to watch

 

As much as I hate to say it you are right. Either find him someone, give him some happiness for once (yeah NOT AMY fyi  ) or write him off. Be funny if even Stuart hooked up with his soulmate and Sheldon and Amy could see everyone else being happy in love then them realising they should both go back to being happy and get back together.. wishful thinking  

[Tensor]

I find it interesting that some really like the Stuart scenes, and some really find it creepy.  If he's that creepy, maybe they should hook him and Emily up.

 

Edited September 22, 2015 by Tensor

[Taperoo]

Brilliant Sheldon, was that neccessary heh. 

I didn't think Stuart was early Howard level creepy. He's just filling a role in the episode that Howard would have been in, had he not married Bernadette. Overall the episode was quite low key, had it's moments. Amy breaking up with Sheldon was nicely done by both actors. That's how I thought they would break up, Sheldon not understanding the social norms in this situation and reverting to his snippy self, while Amy finally snapped. I know Shamy fans won't like it, but I think it will do both characters a lot of good in the long. They won't be broken up forever. It will be interesting to see how they get back together, never know it might see a certain ring reappearing at some point.
 

[pisquenta]

I laughed at 3-4 lines most. The episode left a bad taste in my mouth. I thought Lenny had mostly cute scenes, but they deserved a better wedding. They went through so much on the last 8 seasons, the least these writers could do was give them a perfect wedding. Not one where the bride was reassuring Amy saying that she wasn't missing anything special. 

From the spoilers I thought Sheldon was more heartbroken, but he was really more aggressive than anything. Sure there were some moments I felt bad for him (the scene with his mom, the tea scene with Penny), but he was downright obnoxious, childish and frankly terrible.

[phantagrae]

I thought this was a great episode--and I even liked our sadsack Stuart, living down to his potential.  He's lower on the totem pole than Raj...

And I thought that Sheldon's upheaval and even his lashing out at Amy was in character with his inability to process big emotions.  He knows what TV shows he loves and hates, and he knows that he loves Amy, but he's totally unprepared to deal maturely with how deeply he's hurt by even her stepping  back.  He doesn't know what that means in terms of relationships, so he expects her to get past it quickly and doesn't know any other way to understand it than to go and see if she's over it.

He also wants to lash out at her and cause her some kind of hurt to equal what he's feeling.  That's actually not unusual in human relationships, but Sheldon has his own crazy way of doing it.

He has only a few examples of boy/girl relationships to draw upon and, of course, he goes to extremes in trying to sort it all out.

And for those who keep trying to read things into Jim's performance, like he's not liking the scripts or he's not wanting to perform the lines or whatever, I think that's kind of silly and I would bet that Jim would deny all of that.  I feel that it may not be his favorite thing--to play Sheldon and Amy at odds--but I would bet that he loves flexing all his acting muscles in a somewhat juicier storyline.  I'm not saying that he doesn't enjoy playing "lovey Shamy", but he's an actor, not a baby, and playing his character under different emotions is part of what an actor does.  I think that people know that Jim loves the Shamy and that he enjoys the sweet moments, but he's obviously not down in the dumps about all of this.  His interviews have been upbeat and even funny.  He's not beating his breast about "having" to play this story.

And I think it suits Jim very well.  He knows what he's doing and he knows how to portray an angry, confused, hurt Sheldon as well as he knows how to play emperious know-it-all sciencey Sheldon.

I liked the Lenny wedding, as well, and I think that the impromptu nature suited them well as a couple, and maybe especially Penny, who is probably the most spontaneous of the whole gang, and the least fussy.  Whatever she might have pictured over the years, she didn't seem to have been set on "the wedding of my dreams", with a big cathedral and a big puffy dress and a gazillion bridesmaids.  Even when she and Leonard were kind of discussing it in the finale, she had no qualms about having a small wedding, with "2 friends each", so I don't think having a small Vegas chapel wedding bothered her at all.  As she kept telling Sheldon, it didn't matter how or when it happened, but that they were committed to each other.  So now they're legally wed, and they've got other problems to deal with (as is always the case!)

And I think Amy did really well to try to be patient with Sheldon at first, to keep reminding him that they weren't actually broken up, until he let his frustration get the better of him and he popped off one of his typically insulting comments and she snapped.  He has said ugly things to her before, some insulting, some borderline insulting, and she has cut him slack, but at this point she was already feeling the strain of putting up with him as he is, and then he goes and insults her and pressures her in front of their friends and to her face.  So she brings the hammer down, but even so, she's unsure that she actually wanted to break up with him.

All in all, a great episode.  Lots of emotions, lots of darker humor, perhaps, but still very funny.  I don't need things to be all sunshine and roses.  We know they all love each other.  It's just a matter of how they work it out.

[Earnie]

I thought this was a great episode--and I even liked our sadsack Stuart, living down to his potential.  He's lower on the totem pole than Raj...

And I thought that Sheldon's upheaval and even his lashing out at Amy was in character with his inability to process big emotions.  He knows what TV shows he loves and hates, and he knows that he loves Amy, but he's totally unprepared to deal maturely with how deeply he's hurt by even her stepping  back.  He doesn't know what that means in terms of relationships, so he expects her to get past it quickly and doesn't know any other way to understand it than to go and see if she's over it.

He also wants to lash out at her and cause her some kind of hurt to equal what he's feeling.  That's actually not unusual in human relationships, but Sheldon has his own crazy way of doing it.

He has only a few examples of boy/girl relationships to draw upon and, of course, he goes to extremes in trying to sort it all out.

And for those who keep trying to read things into Jim's performance, like he's not liking the scripts or he's not wanting to perform the lines or whatever, I think that's kind of silly and I would bet that Jim would deny all of that.  I feel that it may not be his favorite thing--to play Sheldon and Amy at odds--but I would bet that he loves flexing all his acting muscles in a somewhat juicier storyline.  I'm not saying that he doesn't enjoy playing "lovey Shamy", but he's an actor, not a baby, and playing his character under different emotions is part of what an actor does.  I think that people know that Jim loves the Shamy and that he enjoys the sweet moments, but he's obviously not down in the dumps about all of this.  His interviews have been upbeat and even funny.  He's not beating his breast about "having" to play this story.

And I think it suits Jim very well.  He knows what he's doing and he knows how to portray an angry, confused, hurt Sheldon as well as he knows how to play emperious know-it-all sciencey Sheldon.

I liked the Lenny wedding, as well, and I think that the impromptu nature suited them well as a couple, and maybe especially Penny, who is probably the most spontaneous of the whole gang, and the least fussy.  Whatever she might have pictured over the years, she didn't seem to have been set on "the wedding of my dreams", with a big cathedral and a big puffy dress and a gazillion bridesmaids.  Even when she and Leonard were kind of discussing it in the finale, she had no qualms about having a small wedding, with "2 friends each", so I don't think having a small Vegas chapel wedding bothered her at all.  As she kept telling Sheldon, it didn't matter how or when it happened, but that they were committed to each other.  So now they're legally wed, and they've got other problems to deal with (as is always the case!)

And I think Amy did really well to try to be patient with Sheldon at first, to keep reminding him that they weren't actually broken up, until he let his frustration get the better of him and he popped off one of his typically insulting comments and she snapped.  He has said ugly things to her before, some insulting, some borderline insulting, and she has cut him slack, but at this point she was already feeling the strain of putting up with him as he is, and then he goes and insults her and pressures her in front of their friends and to her face.  So she brings the hammer down, but even so, she's unsure that she actually wanted to break up with him.

All in all, a great episode.  Lots of emotions, lots of darker humor, perhaps, but still very funny.  I don't need things to be all sunshine and roses.  We know they all love each other.  It's just a matter of how they work it out.

Totally agree with you about the wedding with Penny's commitment issues the only way for them to get married was to go ahead and do it. This way Leonard did not have deal with his dysfunctional family who would ruin the moment for them and they did not have deal with Sheldon who was upset over Amy breaking up with him. The two people who should be there were I just wish they would have dealt with the kissing issue before the cermony

Edited September 22, 2015 by Earnie

[5Mississippis]

That was a bullshit, fucking ugly, horrible wedding.

The Lenny disservice of Season Eight just keeps rolling on.

They need to re-do that piece of shit wedding IN THE HALLWAY and make it halfway decent this time. 

[meka3000]

-penny could'nt have looked more bored.....

 

-should have got the gist when penny herself said that amy was not missing anything special........lollol

-She didn't come off bored to me when she told Leonard "I love you." Or when she said "wow" in reaction to Leonard's vows. Or when she smiled back at the end saying to her friends "WE DID IT!" IMO your seeing those things BECAUSE you're determined to see them, despite anything that appears contradictory to your interpretation on screen.

-  To quote Leonard in the season 5 premiere (when Sheldon took Penny's words "It's not what it looks like." at 100% face value); "SHE LIED!"

Edited September 22, 2015 by meka3000

[Itwasdestined]

-She didn't come off bored to me when she told Leonard "I love you." Or when she said "wow" in reaction to Leonard's vows. Or when she smiled back at the end saying to her friends "WE DID IT!" IMO your seeing those things BECAUSE you're determined to see them, despite anything that appears contradictory to your interpretation on screen.

-  To quote Leonard in the season 5 premiere (when Sheldon took Penny's words "It's not what it looks like." at 100% face value); "SHE LIED!"

Vasu picks his evidence for his opinions, we pick our evidence for our opinions. Thats how the internet works. Then it's up to judge and jury to decide.....except we know the two lawyers will sometimes continue the fight well after anyone still cares. The problem ( or beauty ) of the characters in this shows is they always provide evidence for both defence and prosecution. Makes for interesting discussion ( until it wears thin ) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dayton Lavon Kitchens]

A solid episode though given that arguably the Leonard/Penny wedding Is the ultimate event of the series it is actually pretty  understated.     Sheldon's rage at Amy was somewhat of a surprise.    Especially how cutting his remark of "those eggs you  re carrying have a use by date".  

Which one can say shows how Sheldon views marriage.    Ultimately about children (and by inference, sex).

[gwhh]

it was sheldon telling leonard why men are better than women.  Capped off with sheldons hilarious line about how he always imagined Leonard would be spending his wedding night with him.

The scene with ms. Cooper was in the middle.  Turns out the ring belongs to his great grandmother.

I don't understand WHY Sheldon would think he be spending his wedding night together with Lenard.  But it still was a funny laugh! 

 

Its a 4 and half hour drive from pasadena California to las vegas.  I would guess they had a very unhappy drive back! 

[phantagrae]

A solid episode though given that arguably the Leonard/Penny wedding Is the ultimate event of the series it is actually pretty  understated.     Sheldon's rage at Amy was somewhat of a surprise.    Especially how cutting his remark of "those eggs you  re carrying have a use by date". 

Which one can say shows how Sheldon views marriage.    Ultimately about children (and by inference, sex).

I wouldn't say that.  He's just reminding Amy of her biological clock, implying that if she indeed want to have children, she shouldn't stay broken up with him for very long.  I don't think it has to do with marriage, but somewhat to do with sex, but not necessarily saying that he wants to get together in order to have sex.  It was just the most cutting remark he could come up with in order to try to make her make up with him.

Of course, Sheldon is clueless as to how it will affect her.  He wants to hurt her feelings the way she has hurt his feelings--deeper than a paper cut--but he doesn't realize he's pushing her over the very edge he's been trying to avoid.

That was a bullshit, fucking ugly, horrible wedding.

The Lenny disservice of Season Eight just keeps rolling on.

They need to re-do that piece of shit wedding IN THE HALLWAY and make it halfway decent this time.

What kind of wedding did you expect?  A reinactment of the wedding from The Sound of Music?

[sarah7]

What kind of wedding did you expect?  A reinactment of the wedding from The Sound of Music?

I'm not 5Mississipis, and I'm not even a Lenny, but I'm going to reply because I guess we all were expecting something MUCH different (if not much better) for the main couple of the show than... that thing they did.

Something nice, funny, nerdy, touching without being sappy, something not shadowed by a supposed cheating from one of the members of the couple, a truly special ocassion, perhaps with the presence of one of the family members that had never been seen (like Penny's mother).

Phantagrae, please, with that question of yours, how can you have a so unsympathetic attitude towards the dissapointment some hardcore shippers are having over that bad joke TPTB are throwing at them after so many years of hope and waiting?

I know their fave characters are married now, but that doesn't mean is the only thing they need to be glowing with happiness, the ending is not the only thing that means, it's the overal atmosphere, the tone, the mood, I mean, everything that was essentially off in that moment. By showing that sad and in so many ways uncomfortable escenario, they are not being original, clever or edgy, they are being mean, sloppy and lazy, and the saddest part of this is, for a so-called comedy, they are not even being funny.

That's precisely what had been making me slowly moving away from the series, with a bad taste in my mouth.

[mjc45]

enjoyed the wedding ,could have been better.

did look like stuart was a little creepy going after

amy, than penny later on. amy wanted some space

and sheldon gave her 11 hours. you are going to have 

up your game to get amy back.

[phantagrae]

I'm not 5Mississipis, and I'm not even a Lenny, but I'm going to reply because I guess we all were expecting something MUCH different (if not much better) for the main couple of the show than... that thing they did.

Something nice, funny, nerdy, touching without being sappy, something not shadowed by a supposed cheating from one of the members of the couple, a truly special ocassion, perhaps with the presence of one of the family members that had never been seen (like Penny's mother).

Phantagrae, please, with that question of yours, how can you have a so unsympathetic attitude towards the dissapointment some hardcore shippers are having over that bad joke TPTB are throwing at them after so many years of hope and waiting?

I know their fave characters are married now, but that doesn't mean is the only thing they need to be glowing with happiness, the ending is not the only thing that means, it's the overal atmosphere, the tone, the mood, I mean, everything that was essentially off in that moment. By showing that sad and in so many ways uncomfortable escenario, they are not being original, clever or edgy, they are being mean, sloppy and lazy, and the saddest part of this is, for a so-called comedy, they are not even being funny.

That's precisely what had been making me slowly moving away from the series, with a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm not unsympathetic, but I don't understand the hatred, nor what the actual expectations were.

 I didn't find the atmosphere or tone or mood to be off.  And I also didn't find I to be "mean, sloppy and lazy" or unfunny.  So am I supposed to weep and wail over something I found to be sweet and funny?  I enjoyed it, and even though I'm not specifically a Lenny, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy their relationship.

 Yes, they had a big bump, but that's also part of their narrative.  And I don't think that just because TBBT is a comedy that it can't have some drama or that everything has to be roses and unicorns.

[meka3000]

I find it interesting that some really like the Stuart scenes, and some really find it creepy.  If he's that creepy, maybe they should hook him and Emily up.

I'm not one to usually ship crack pairings, but damnit tensor now you've got the idea of that pair stuck in my head.

 

[Lionne]

I find it interesting that some really like the Stuart scenes, and some really find it creepy.  If he's that creepy, maybe they should hook him and Emily up.

Emily would eat him alive, but I used to want him to get together with Lucy. They could retreat into their own private happiness.

[mirs1]

I liked the episode because of the acting, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki stole the episode for me, so when I see something so well played I can't help liking it and I don't care if it is drama or comedy or whatever. What I found kind of underwhelming was Lenny's wedding. I get that Penny is not the kind of persons who longs for a formal wedding, white dress, flowers and so on, but all the jokes in the first part of the episode were about lessen the moment (the free buffet, the potpourri...) and I felt uncomfortable with it. The vows were tender, but I would have preferred to see on screen the rings exchange and the final proclamation. The "I'do's" were out of the question from moment one, since the writers wanted to keep the tradition of hiding Penny's last name and I've always liked this oddity, so I was ok with it, but I would have liked something more.

Edited September 23, 2015 by mirs1

[Guitars1964]

Wasn't impressed with Penny and Leonard's wedding.  It seemed an odd, underwhelming way for them to get married.  After all these seasons... this is how it goes?  And again we are presented with a Penny who doesn't care to make up her own vows and a Leonard who does.  She seems bored and not really into the whole thing.  And of course we have to have the obligatory dump on Leonard who seems to have trouble carrying her into the room.  And of course Penny's little shot at him about whether he'll be able to please her in bed that night.  Yup. back to old kick Leonard deal.  That's why I wrote my second fan fiction, in part... to give Leonard his due, to let Leonard be the one who isn't sure he wants to have a relationship with her.  Good thing they eloped - if any of their friends had been present someone might have said to either of them:  "you sure you still want to do this?"  I mean really, could Penny have looked less interested?  I'd take her being nervous or scared since she always professed her fear of getting married, but this seemed like she was getting ready for a hair appointment.  Ho-hum.  Really?  Is that what the writers decided the "Lenny" faithful deserved after 8 seasons?  Good luck, Leonard, what's past is prologue.  Hey, maybe the writers will think it's really funny if sometime in Season 9 Penny has an affair and leaves Leonard.  Thanks, writers.

Just my humble opinion.  Ymmv.

[Midru]

One thing I hope they explain is how Leonard, who up until the last episode was always 100% devoted to Penny, who saw her as perfect and The One, etc., allowed himself under any circumstances to hook up with another woman. She's the only woman he ever loved, Leonard generally acts with a great deal of integrity, his loyalty thus far has been unblemished- how would he ever kiss another person? So bizarre how they bring this back two years later, with a new character no less. 

[Kasey]

I thought the parts that were shown of the Lenny wedding were sweet and totally "them".  The fact that they were short and messed into other plots I did not enjoy in the least.  Normally episodes have an A and a B plot (sometimes a C also).  The A takes precedence while the other one (or two) are smaller. 

This episode had two A plots and I don't think it was very fair to Lenny shippers who have been waiting all this time for the wedding to have to share their A plot with Shamy breaking up.